Why Did the Salmon Cross the Road?

12/01/2011

Last week I posted a crazy video of an octopus that left its watery habitat to go for an eight-legged stroll across land. Well, seems like salmon in Washington State have gotten the same idea. Recent flooding there caused a strange occurrence: salmon swimming in just a tiny film of water across streets!

In reality, it's not much different than when salmon swim upstream to spawn. During that annual migration from the ocean up freshwater rivers and streams, the fish often have to traverse shallow spots with rocky bottoms. Their drive to mate powers them to fiercely propel themselves over these shallow areas to reach deeper waters again.

This is pretty much what the street-crossing salmon in this video are doing, but it's no less odd and awesome to watch.